Black Comedy
By Peter Shaffer
Directing, Co-Scenic & Sound Design
April 2017
Lighting Design by Maddie Wilson, Costumes by Cat Braza, Co-Scenic Design by Allie Puneky
A Farce that Worked Outside the Proscenium…
I first encountered Black Comedy, an outrageous comedy set in a reverse lighting scheme where dark is light and light is dark, as I was watching a high school production. Brindsley, a starving artist, and his wife to-be Carol are expecting a famous art collector in thier London flat when the power goes out. Of course, in the true british style, all hell breaks loose, and with it all hope of Brindsley’s art career taking off.
The production I saw was staged in the traditional way most farcical plays are: proscenium. That is, with a clear front and fourth wall that is the audience’s view. This allows for physical comedy to create visual gags without giving away any tricks, and simplifying the choreography of movement.
In Taylor Theatre, home of Colorado College’s student theatre, I wanted to use the black box space, and tap into the darkness aspect of the play in a way that had not been done before.
Because most of the play takes place in a power outage, playwright Peter Shaffer dictates that all scenes in complete darkness should be staged in full light, with the actors miming not being able to see. Because of this, I don’t have to worry about a proscenium as with most farces. The characters can’t see anything, so there is no need to hide gags from view or layer bits to justify characters falling into absurd circumstances. Staging the play in a three quarter thrust meant that the audience could be more engaged, and really feel like they were in Brindsley’s living room with him.
“You should live in the dark Brindsley. It’s your natural element.”
Video clip
In this clip from the play, we find the apartment full and tense. Brindsley has realized that he must return all of Harold’s furniture and bring back his own, in the dark. If Harold notices, or anybody for that matter, everything will fall apart. This moment in the play was one of the most fun to stage, and the most like choreographing a dance:
[starts at 22:44]
Video by Corrina Leatherwood
Photos by Daniel Sarche
Theatre Workshop at Colorado College - Taylor theater